In 2008, five private university presidents in Texas earned more than $1 million. In 2009, according to the latest data, only Rice University President David Leebron makes it to seven digits, with a haul of $1,517,854. That puts him at 13th nationally. The biggest earner in the country that year was Constantine Papadakis, president of Drexel University in Pennsylvania, with $4,912,127.

While they aren't quite keeping up with the Papadakises, the six highest-paid presidents of private institutions in Texas all make more than $800,000. University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, by comparison, is paid $750,000 a year for overseeing a network of nine academic universities and six health institutions.

In order, the state's top six are Leebron, R. Gerald Turner of Southern Methodist University ($948,998), Victor Boschini of Texas Christian University ($886,515), George Martin of St. Edward's University in Austin ($882,751), Gary Cook of Dallas Baptist University ($834,224) and John Brazil of Trinity University in San Antonio ($805,963). Brazil left that post in 2010.

Cook also ranks high on the national list of presidents whose compensation is a significant percentage of the school's overall budget. His pay accounts for 1 percent of Dallas Baptist's total expenditures.

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